Cannabis plant named ‘V3’

ABSTRACT

The new  Cannabis  plant variety  C. sativa  ‘V3’ is provided. ‘V3’ is intended for use as medicinal herb for sale in  Cannabis  dispensaries and for use in the manufacture of medicinal and recreational products. The variety can be distinguished by its outstanding feature of increased production of tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV).

Latin name of the genus and species: Genus—Cannabis. Species—sativa.

Variety denomination: The new Cannabis plant claimed is of the variety denominated ‘V3’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct annual variety of C. sativa, which has been given the variety denomination of ‘V3’. Its market class is that of a medicinal herb. ‘V3 is intended for use as medicinal herb containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV). ‘V3’ is intended for use as a medicinal herb for sale in Cannabis dispensaries and for use in the manufacture of medicinal and recreational products.

The new C. sativa variety is a selection resulting from initial genetic selection of C. sativa varieties from Durban, South Africa and Malawi, Morocco to cultivate that had the potential for higher production of THCV. Plants were initially bred within greenhouses in Laytonville, Calif. before being acclimatized to outdoor conditions. After acclimatization, vegetative C. sativa plants were tested for THCV levels using chromatography. The highest THCV producing male and female plants were selected for breeding. The female parent F12 (not patented) of THC content 0.55% and THCV content 1.27% was cross bred to C. sativa male parent M31 (not patented) of THC content 6.14% and THCV content 1.24% to generate the F1 progeny. Cannabinoid production of the F1 progeny was measured beginning in 2016 and used to determine single plants to propagate. F1 females having breeding record numbers Ma2, Ma3, Ma4, Ma5, Ma6, and Ma8 were open-pollinated with F1 males having breeding record numbers Ma1, Ma7, Ma9, and Ma10. F2 seeds were planted and F2 plants were selected for THCV production and vigor. The new variety was discovered and selected as a single plant from this cross of F1 parents, and was subsequently propagated clonally in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A.

The selection was subsequently evaluated for 3 years in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. Individual plants are initially propagated within a greenhouse without supplemental lighting. Plants are transferred to outdoor growth once established.

Asexual reproduction of the new variety by stem cutting propagation since 2018 at Mendo Love Farms in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A has demonstrated that the new variety reproduces true to type with all the characteristics, as herein described, firmly fixed and retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.

HISTORICAL NOTE

Human cultivation history of Cannabis dates back 8000 years (Schultes, R. E. 1970. Random thoughts and queries on the botany of Cannabis. Pages 11-38 in: C R B Joyce, and S H Curry eds., THE BOTANY AND CHEMISTRY OF CANNABIS. J. & A. Churchill. London, England (1970)). Hemp cloth recovered in Europe dates back 6000 years (Small, F., Beckstead, H D., and Chan, A. 29(3) ECONOMIC BOTANY 219-232. (1975)). The written record of the pharmacologic properties of Cannabis goes back more than 4000 years (Ti, H. 2737BCE. Nei Jing Su Wen Huang Ti (Yellow Emperor's Classic on Internal Medicine; referred to without citation in Small, et al. (1975) Supra).

The taxonomy and nomenclature of the highly variable genus Cannabis (Emboden, W A., 29(3) ECONOMIC BOTANY 304-310. (1974)); (Small, E. and Cronquist, A. 25(4) TAXON 405-435 (1976)); (Small, E. and Cronquist, A. 26(1) TAXON 110 (1977)); (Hillig, K W and Mahlberg, P G, 91(6) American Journal of Botany 966-975 (2004)); remains in question. This is in spite of the fact that its formal scientific name, ‘Cannabis sativa L.’, assigned by Carolus Linneaus (Linneaus, C, 2 SPECIES PLANTARIUM 1027 (1753), Salvius, Stockholm. Fascimile edition, 1957-1959. Ray Society, London, U.K.) is one of the oldest established names in botanical history and is still accepted to this day. Another species in the genus, ‘Cannabis indica Lam.’ was formally named somewhat later (de Lamarck, J B, 1(2) ENCYLOPEDIE METHODIQUE DE BOTANIQUE, 694-5, (1785)), but is still very old in botanical history.

Three other species names were proposed in the 1800s to distinguish plants with presumably different characteristics (C. macrosperma Stokes, C. chinensis Delile, C. gigantea Vilmorin), none of which are accepted today, although the epithet “indica” lives on as a subspecies of C. sativa (C. sativa ssp. indica Lam., Small and Cronquist 1976 Supra).

In the 20^(th) century, two new names were added to the liturgy of proposed Cannabis species: C. ruderalis Janischevsky and a hybrid x C. interstita Sojak. (Small, E, Jui, P Y, and Lefkovitch, L P, 1(1) SYSTEMATIC BOTANY 67-84 (1976)); Small and Cronquist 1976, Supra). Further, numerous names have been proposed for horticultural variants of ‘Cannabis’ but as of 1976, “very few of these have been validly published as formal taxa under the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature.” (Small and Cronquist, 1976 Supra.) Moreover, other recent work continues to focus on higher-order evolutionary relationships of the genus. Cannabis has been variously ascribed as belonging to the mulberry family (Moraceae) (Engler, H G A, Ulmaceae, Moraceae and Urticaceae, pages 59-118 (1889) in: A. Engler and K. Prantl eds., DIE NATURLICHEN PFLANZENFAMILIEN 3(1). W. Engelmann, Leipzeig, Germany; Judd, W S, Sanders, R W, and Donogue, M J, 5 HARVARD PAPERS IN BOTANY 5: 1-51 (1994)); nettle family (Urticaceae) (Berg, C C, Systematics and phylogeny of the Urticales, pages 193-220, in: P. R. Crane and S. Blackmore eds., EVOLUTION, SYSTEMATIC, AND FOSSIL HISTORY OF THE HAMAMELIDAE, VOL 2, HIGHER HAMAMELIDAE, Clarendon Press, Oxford, U.K. (1989); Humphries, C J and Blackmore, S. A review of the classification of the Moraceae, pages 267-277 In: Crane and Blackmore 1989 id.); and most recently in its own family with hops (Humulus), the Cannabaceae, or hemp family (Sytsma, K J et al. 89(9) AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 1531-1546 (2002)). While the work of Small and Cronquist 1976 Supra, seemed to effectively confine the genus to a single species with 2 subspecies (C. sativa s., C. s. indica), each with two varieties (C. s. s. var. sativa, C. s. s. var. spontanea; C. s. i. var. indica, C. s. i. var. kafiristanica) largely on the basis of chemotaxonomy and interfertility of all forms. More-recent work (Systema, et al. 2002, Supra), proposes a two-species concept, resurrecting the binomial C. indica Lam. Since Systema, et al. 2002 provides no key for discriminating between the species, the dichotomous key of Small and Cronquist 1976 Supra, which accounts for all forms in nature, whether wild or domesticated, was used to classify the characteristics of the plants described herein.

The active ingredients in Cannabis are cannabinoids and include THC and THCV. Cannabinoids are of interest for their effects on the body through the endogenous cannabinoid system that is an integral part of the central nervous system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim for the development of the new C. sativa variety, ‘V3’, was to produce a variety featuring increased THCV levels relative to THC levels. These phytocannabinoids in Cannabis are known for their ability to signal through the human endocannabinoid system. THC is found in the form of tetrahydrocannabolic acid (THCA) that is converted to THC during drying or under high heat. Similarly, THCV in live plants is in the form of tetrahydrocannivarin carboxylic acid (THCVA). THC and THCV both bind to the cannabinoid receptors 1 (CB₁) and 2 (CB₂). Binding of CB₁ by its endogenous ligands, anandamide or 2-arachidonoylglycerol, stimulates food intake (Silvestri, C., Di Marzo, V. 17 Cell Metabolism 475-490 (2013)). THC acts as an agonist of CB₁ and stimulates appetite while THCV is a mild antagonist of CB₁ lessens sensations of hunger (Pertwee, R G. 153 British Journal of Pharmacology 199-215 (2008)). The ability of THCV to act as an antagonist of CB₁ has led to investigation of using THCV to treat metabolic syndrome and obesity (Riedel, G., et al., 156 British Journal of Pharmacology 1154-1166 (2009)). Selection of a variety producing increased amounts of THCV allows optimized isolation of THCV which may be used in treatment of metabolic syndrome.

Plants of the new variety differ from typical C. sativa plants in increased production of THCV compared to THC as determined by cannabinoid testing performed by an independent testing company. ‘V3’ is a new variety with increased production of THCV compared to standard varieties of C. sativa. The enhanced production of THCV makes ‘V3’ a variety of interest for production of medicinal THCV.

TABLE 1 Exemplary Profiles of Key Cannabinoids. Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent Percent d9-THC  0.02  0.03  0.05  0.08  0.10 THCA  1.88  2.81  4.65  6.70  8.04 Total THC*  1.67  2.50  4.13  5.96  7.15 THCV  0.00  0.01  0.03  0.18  0.22 THCVA  1.37  1.94  2.88  4.23  5.08 THCV + THCVA  1.37  1.95  2.91  4.41  5.30 CBG + CBGA  0.16  0.28  0.58  1.03  1.24 CBCA  0.05  0.07  0.12  0.37  0.45 Total  3.25  4.80  7.77 12.04 14.45 Cannabinoid THCV/THC (%) 82 78 70 74 74 THCV/Total 42 40 37 37 37 Cannabinoid (%) *Total THC = (THCA * 0.877) + THC (i.e. delta 9 THC) + delta 8 THC

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PICTURES

The accompanying photographs show the typical appearance of the new variety ‘V3’. The colors are as nearly true as is reasonably possible in a color representation of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the actual appearance.

FIG. 1 is a photograph of the new variety ‘V3’ at about age 18 weeks in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. in a 200-gallon container. The photograph was taken in July 2018.

FIG. 2 is a photograph of the new variety ‘V3’ at about age 28 weeks in its flowering stage in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. The photograph was taken in October 2018 and demonstrates small bud structure.

FIG. 3 is a photograph of the new variety ‘V3’ at about age 28-30 weeks in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A.

FIG. 4 is a photograph of the new variety ‘V3’ at about age 28-30 weeks in its flowering stage in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. The photograph was taken in October 2018.

FIG. 5 is a photograph of the new variety ‘V3’ at about age 4-6 weeks in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. in a greenhouse. The photograph was taken in April/May 2018.

FIG. 6 is a photograph of the inflorescence of the new variety ‘V3’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description sets forth the distinctive characteristics of ‘V3’. The data which define these characteristics were collected from asexual reproductions of the original selection. Dimensions, sizes, colors, and other characteristics are approximations and averages set forth as accurately as possible. The plant history was taken on plants approximately 3 breeding years of age, and the descriptions relate to plants grown in the field in Laytonville, Calif., U.S.A. Color notations are in reference to the standard digital RGB color-numbering system known to those of ordinary skill in color designation and color matching. Color measurements were taken and quantified using a commercially available color detection, quantification, and matching device. Color group hues and specific color names provided are based upon classification and naming used in the art of color matching and naming, such as can be found at www <dot> color-blindness <dot> com/color-name-hue-tool/color-name-hue.html.

-   Classification:     -   -   a. Family.—Cannabaceae.         -   b. Genus.—Cannabis.         -   c. Species.—sativa.         -   d. Common name.—Marijuana. -   Market class: A medicinal herb intended for use as medical oil, and     medicinal herb for sale in Cannabis dispensaries and for use in the     manufacture of medicinal and recreational products.

PLANT

-   General:     -   -   a. Parentage.—i. Male parent — M31. ii. Female parent — F12.         -   b. Average height.—6 feet/2 meters in a 200 gallon smart             pot, sun-grown.         -   c. Average spread.—Can be up to 10 feet in diameter.         -   d. Growth rate.—2 inches per day in the veg cycle.         -   e. Branching characteristics.—Sets of 2, matching or             alternating.         -   f. Length of primary lateral branches.—1-2 meters.         -   g. Quantity of primary lateral branches.—10-25.         -   h. Characteristics of primary lateral branches.—i. Color —             Green/tan; #8F867E hue/color group: Brown; color name:             Schooner 143,134,126. ii. Texture — Sticky, undulated,             gritty. iii. Strength — Soft to woody.         -   i. Cold hardiness.—Impeded growth under 45° F.         -   j. Cold tolerance.—Survives light snow.         -   k. Chilling requirement.—Flowers below 70° F.         -   l. Shipping tolerance.—High.         -   m. Flower storage life.—One year.         -   n. Productivity.—Variable on size, plant in 200 gallon             container yields 2-3 pounds, plant in 5 gallon container             yields 1-2 oz.         -   o. Disease resistance/susceptibility.—Strong disease             resistance.         -   p. Pest resistance/susceptibility.—Resistant to spider mite             and powdery mildew.         -   q. Proportion of hermaphrodite plants.—Low.         -   r. Proportion of female plants.—High/medium.         -   s. Proportion of male plants.—Medium.

STEM

-   General:     -   -   a. Average diameter.—2.5 inches plus/minus 1 inch.         -   b. Average length of internode.—At full maturity             approximately 4 inches if grown in a 200 gallon smart pot in             full sun.         -   c. Depth of grooves.—Shallow.         -   d. Pith in cross section.—Thick.         -   e. Trichome type.—Capitate sessile.         -   Color.—#726139 hue/color group: Brown; color name: Shingle             Fawn 114,97,57.

LEAF

-   General:     -   -   a. Average length.—8 inches plus/minus 1 inch.         -   b. Average width.—4 inches to 6 inches.         -   c. Number of leaflets.—5-11 depending on plant size and             maturity.         -   d. Central leaflet length.—5 inches plus/minus 1 inch.         -   e. Central leaflet width.—0.06 inches plus/minus 0.2.         -   f. Margin type.—Coarsely serrated, dentate.         -   g. Trichome type (upper surface).—Capitate Sessile.         -   h. Trichome type (lower surface).—Capitate Sessile.         -   i. Fragrance.—Herbaceous, Vernal, Grassy, Sweet.         -   j. Apex shape.—Elongated, pointed, thin.         -   k. Base shape.—Palmated.         -   l. Quantity.—Depending on plant size, high leaf to calyx             ratio.         -   m. Leaf color (top side).—#32482A hue/color group: Green;             color name: Palm Leaf 50,72,42.         -   n. Leaf color (under side).—#586B41 hue/color group: Green;             color name: Chalet Green 88,107,65.         -   o. Leaf shape.—Coarsely serrated leaflets with symmetrically             variable lengths.

PETIOLE

-   General:     -   -   a. Length.—8 mm-12 mm.         -   b. Surface texture.—Smooth to gritty depending on plant size             and maturity.         -   c. Anthocyanin intensity.—Light in Veg state, medium in late             flower.         -   d. Color.—#7FACBE hue/color group: Blue; color name: Glacier             127,172,190.

FEMALE FLOWER

-   General:     -   -   a. Natural flowering season.—November/December.         -   b. Bracteole.—i. Shape — Elongated, open cymes. ii. Trichome             type — Capitate Sessile.         -   c. Stigma.—i. Size — 0.4 cm average. ii. Quantity — Two per             bract. iii. Shape — Acute. iv. Trichome type — Capitate             Sessile. v. Color — #6F5A3C hue/color group: Yellow; color             name: Yellow Metal 111,90,60.         -   d. Stipule.—i. Size — 0.6 cm. ii. Quantity — 2 per             pistillate flower. iii. Shape — Pointed, thin, blade             like. iv. Trichome type — Capitate Sessile. v. Color —             #3A5116 hue/color group: Green; color name: Verdun Green             58,81,22.         -   e. Bract.—i. Size — 0.1-0.6 cm. ii. Shape — Curved-vaselike,             urn shaped. iii. Trichome type — Capitate sessile. iv. Color             — #3B5A4E hue/color group: Green; color name: Plantation             59,90,78. v. Texture — Sticky, greasy.

SEEDS

-   General:     -   -   a. Marbling.—Medium.

COMPARISON BETWEEN PARENTAL AND COMMERCIAL VARIETIES

The new C. sativa variety ‘V3’ differs from the parental varieties, female F12 and male M31, by having an increased production of THCV, is larger in width and height than the F1 plants Ma1 through Ma8, grows more robustly, has much closer internodes, and stronger branches.

Compared to related varieties, ‘V3’ differs from ‘V1’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 16/602,084) and ‘V2’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 16/602,085) in that ‘V3’ has coarsely serrated leaflets that are longer than ‘V1’ and ‘V2’. ‘V3’ is higher in THC than THCV and finishes sooner than ‘V1 and ‘V2’, which include a later flowering cycle and also later development/showing of sex. ‘V3’ also differs from ‘V1’ and ‘V2’ with respect to color characteristics of various structures of the two plants, even when grown under the same conditions. Table 2 provides differences in color between ‘V1’, ‘V2’ and ‘V3’ varieties.

TABLE 2 Color comparison between ‘V2’ and related varieties ‘V1’ ‘V2’ ‘V3’ Primary #99866B hue/color #998D71 hue/color #8F867E hue/color lateral group: Brown; color group: Brown; color group: Brown; branches name: Pale Oyster name: Pale Oyster color 153,134,107 153,141,113 name: Schooner 143,134,126 Stem #7B6847 hue/color #8B7353 hue/color #726139 hue/color group: Green; color group: Green; color group: Brown; name: Go Ben name: Shadow color 123,104,71 139,115,83 name: Shingle Fawn 114,97,57 Top side #2E4626 hue/color #405A39 hue/color #32482A hue/color leaf color group: Green; color group: Green; color group: Green; name: Palm Leaf name: Palm Leaf color name: 46,70,38 64,90,57 Palm Leaf 50,72,42 Under #5F6A47 hue/color #718266 hue/color #586B41 hue/color side group: Green; color group: Green; color group: Green; leaf color name: Woodland name: Camouflage color name: 95,106,71 Green 113,130,102 Chalet Green 88,107,65 Petiole #7C613B hue/color #A8A65B hue/color #7FACBE group: Brown; color group: Green; color hue/color name: Shingle Fawn name: Green Smoke group: Blue; color 124,97,59 168,166,91 name: Glacier 127,172,190 Bracteole #544D20 hue/color #535B36 hue/color N/A group: Yellow; color group: Green; color name: Bronze Olive name: Clover 84,77,32 83,91,54 Stigma #585635 hue/color #5E512D hue/color #6F5A3C hue/ group: Yellow; group: Yellow; color group: color name: color name: Yellow; Thatch Green West Coast color name: 88,86,53 94,81,45 Yellow Metal 111,90,60 Stipule #4D461C hue/color #7A7A27 hue/color #3A5116 hue/color group: Green color group: Yellow; color group: Green; name: Army Green name: Pesto color name: 77,70,28 122,122,39 Verdun Green 58,81,22 Bract #535736 hue/color #6E6344 hue/color #3B5A4E group: Green; color group: Brown; color hue/color name: Waiouru name: Tobacco group: Green; 83,87,54 Brown 110,99,68 color name: Plantation 59,90,78

The new C. sativa variety ‘V3’ differs from variety ‘Ecuadorian Sativa’ (U.S. Pat. No. 27,475) in several characteristics. ‘V3’ is narrower in leaf structure than ‘Ecuadorian Sativa’ Other differences are provided in Table 3:

TABLE 3 Differences between ‘V3’ and ‘Ecuadorian Sativa’ ‘V3’ ‘Ecuadorian Sativa’ Aroma Herbaceous, vernal Strongly mephitic, with grassy sweet hints of limonene Leaf Margin Finely serrated Coarsely serrated Central leaflets 5 inches long with a 10-12 cm long plus/minus of 1 inch Central leaflet 0.7 inches with a plus 2.8 cm width minus of 0.2 inches Petiole 2 inches with a plus/ 9-10 cm at maturity minus of 0.25 inches Stigma 0.4 cm 5-7 mm 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Cannabis plant named ‘V3’, as illustrated and described herein. 